Complications and Confusions
by MaryBellNorman
Summary: When Kakashi and his childhood best friend, Mariko develop feelings for each other, utter confusion and frustration ensues.
1. Chapter 1

_"Kakashi, we're going to have a young girl staying with us for a while." Sakumo said, looking down at his young son who stared at him curiously. Mariko hid behind the older man's leg. Only being 6 years old, an orphan, she was scared. She didn't know where she was. She had only met Sakumo a few hours before being put into his care. She peeked out from behind his leg, looking at the boy in front of them and she watched him curiously. Sakumo gently nudged her forward. _

_She looked up at him, unsure before bowing slightly to the boy in front of him. "My name is Mariko." she said gently, her eyes on the ground. Kakashi looked her over for a moment before looking to his father, curiously. Why was she being put into his care? Why would she be staying at their home? But he didn't ask any of those questions. He noticed the bandages on her arms, just slightly pink, tainted with blood, he assumed. She was scared, her feet never leaving the ground. Something had happened to her. _

_"My name is Kakashi." he said simply, looking at her as she stood straight, her shoulders slightly slumping. _

_Sakumo smiled just slightly before putting a hand on her back. "I'll show you to your room. I'm sure you're exhausted." he said gently._

_And she was. But she wouldn't sleep a wink that night._

* * *

_Mariko stood outside Kakashi's door. It had been a year since they had met and they had gotten very close. And now another tragedy had fallen on them both. "Kakashi?" her voice cracked as she flattened her hand on the door, leaning forward to press her forehead on the door. "I know you're in there... May I come in?" she asked softly. Kakashi said nothing as Mariko slowly opened the door and stepped in, closing the door behind him and leaning against it as she looked to her friend, looking out the window._

_"I don't understand." he mumbled, his hand curling into a fist. Mariko watched him for a moment before walking beside him and sitting down. She looked up at him.  
"Kakashi-"  
"Don't." he looked to the side. "There's no excuses for anything he did."_

_Mariko stared at him and sighed softly before resting her head on his shoulder. "Maybe one day you'll understand, Kakashi." she whispered as she looked at the moon. Kakashi slowly turned to look at her before wrapping his arms gently around her, his face in the crook of her neck. Mariko closed her eyes, putting her hand on the back of his head, petting his hair as he shook in her arms. A parent's death is never easy, she guessed. Even for someone as strong as Kakashi._

* * *

Mariko gasped as she sat up in her bed, looking at her hands. The sun poured in from the sleazy Inn's window and she almost screamed. She couldn't believe she had slept so late! She told Kakashi to be expecting her home first thing in the morning on the 3rd of the month. She groaned. "He's going to be so upset with me!" she sighed as she jumped up and started yanking on her ANBU outfit, brushing her teeth as she yanked on her pants.

Within two hours, Mariko was back in the Leaf village and was racing to the Hokage to tell how her mission went, blah, blah. And then home she would go! And griped out, she would get! She huffed as she slipped into the window, smiling as the Hokage didn't even turn to welcome her, simply speaking. "Welcome back, Mariko." he said simply. She grinned as she sat in front of his desk.  
"Good morning." she returned as she slipped off her mask.  
"How did the mission go?" he asked, not even looking at her.  
Mariko sighed as she pulled down her dark brown bun, letting her hair tumble over her shoulders. "It was actually fairly boring. No one died, and the treaty signing went off without a hitch." she said as she played with a strand of her hair. She pulled the treaty out from the pocket on her hip, handing it over to the Hokage.

He opened it before nodding and closing it. "Thank you Mariko. You are free to go." he said and she grinned, jumping up, about to head out the door when he spoke up.  
"Kakashi is training a new group of students today." he said and she paused, turning to look at him and she smiled.  
"Well, then he can't be angry at me. He didn't tell me he was getting a new group. Are you worried?" she asked curiously.  
He shook his head. "Naruko Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are two of the students."  
Mariko looked him over for a moment before smiling. "You certainly enjoy reminding him of his past don't you?" she sighed slightly before turning and walking out the door, deciding to go find him, mainly out of curiosity.

She went home and changed, of course, cleaning a bit of the mess Kakashi had made in the short time she was gone. She smiled slightly as she put away a few groceries, just small things. And then, she was out to find Kakashi. She didn't have very high hopes for his new group. After all, none of his other students passed his tests, why would these three? She assumed where he would be. Close to the KIA monument stone. She smiled just slightly before coming to the clearing. Kakashi was standing there, his students nowhere to be seen. She smiled, sneaking up behind him.  
"You're late." he said and she huffed.  
"You're observant." she replied as she moved to his side, noticing the blonde boy hanging from the tree in front of them. She cocked her head to the side. "I overslept this morning. Forgive me. Who is this?" she asked curiously.  
"I am Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage!" he said and Mariko stared at him before smiling, chuckling slightly. "What's so funny?!" he snapped and she shook her head.  
"It's simply that you're strung from a tree my friend, yet you make such a bold claim." she shook her head before turning to Kakashi. "I just wanted to let you know I'm home. I'll see you at the house." she patted her old friend's shoulder before heading into town.

It was nice to be home, even if she was only gone for three days. It gave her time to think about a few things that were on her mind. Her parents were constantly on her mind recently and it bothered her. She had talked to the Hokage and Kakashi about this. She couldn't remember what happened to them. She felt like she was forgetting their faces, forgetting their voices and it pained her deeply. The only thing she remembered was being sent to live with Kakashi and Sakumo.  
She sighed slightly as she walked through town, pausing every now and then to greet a few friends, make idle conversation, buy a few things they needed for the house.

Even as the two grew older, she and Kakashi always stuck together. They never separated, and she was glad. Kakashi was her first friend after moving to the village and he was the person she was closest to.

After about an hour or so, Mariko guessed, she was home and curled up on her bed, her face buried into her pillow. She was exhausted, even if she had slept well the night before.

* * *

_Mariko sat in the back yard, looking up at the moon. She never slept well while Kakashi was out on a mission. She was still a Genin, after all, she was no genius like Kakashi. She sighed as she rested her head against the house, closing her eyes. He had just become a Jounin, and he had to go on a mission. She shook her head a little before opening her eyes, almost screaming, as Kakashi was sitting directly in front of her. And he didn't look too well. His left eye was covered and he look on his face... She had seen that look only once before._

_"Kaka-" she stopped as he leaned forward and resting his head on her shoulder, lightly tugging on a strand of her hair. He let his weight fall against her and she wrapped her arms around him carefully. "What happened?" she whispered, her hand moving to his hair, playing with it gently.  
He said nothing for a long while, just stayed with his body pressed against Mariko's, but she didn't push. She knew he would tell her when he was ready to speak. "Obito..." he trailed off and Mariko glanced to the side at him. She pulled him in tighter, nuzzling into his hair, telling him that he didn't have to say anything else.  
She licked her lips, thinking of how to word her question. "Your eye?" she whispered gently. His hands were on her back and they clutched her shirt slightly. Okay, wrong question.  
But he pulled back, looking at her before sliding up his forehead protector. _

_Mariko felt her eyes widen a fraction as she stared at the Sharingan. She took a few minutes to analyze the whole situation and she pressed her forehead to his gently."I'm sorry." she whispered as he closed his eyes, leaning into her.  
"You're talking in your sleep again." he whispered and she pulled back, looking at him.  
"What?" she whispered back._

* * *

"I said, you're talking in your sleep again." Kakashi leaned up, looking down at Mariko as she opened her eyes, groaning as she looked up.  
She just laid like that, staring up at him, one arm above her head, the other off to the side. He almost chuckled. She always looked adorable when she was first waking up. "Why did you wake me up?" she asked before holding out her arm. Kakashi took her hand and pulled her so she was sitting up.  
"You didn't cook dinner." he said as he ran a hand over her head, flattening out a few hairs. "And I haven't seen you in three days. How was the mission?" he asked and she yawned, stretching.  
"It went well." she said as she grabbed his arm and using it to pull herself up. "I'm alive." she groaned, arching her back.

Kakashi looked her over. He asked her to resign from ANBU several times. Once a year at the least. He didn't enjoy worrying if she was going to come home or not. He took a deep breath before putting a hand on her back gently. "I made dinner." he said as he lead her to the table.  
Mariko yawned again as she looked up at him and she grinned. "You take such good care of me." she said, patting his chest gently.  
He chuckled as he looked down at her. "If I didn't do it, you wouldn't take care of yourself." he teased her, reaching up to tug on her hair. She smiled at him before sitting down.  
"You know me so well." she said, watching him as he sat down. He had already taken his vest off, and he looked comfortable. "So... Do you finally have students?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice as she started eating.

He nodded, watching her as she looked over at him, shocked. She swallowed before nodding. "Wow. Someone finally passed. That's amazing." she grinned at him and he slowly returned it. She always had that effect on him. Her smile was simply contagious. "So, what are they like?" she asked, reaching up to tuck a lock of dark hair behind her ear.  
"Naruto is a knuckle head, to put it simply." he said and Mariko giggled slightly, shaking her head. "Sasuke has a lot of raw talent, but he lets his emotions control him." Mariko's smile faded and she nodded. She had been friends with Itachi as well and it had broken her heart when he left, and how he left. Kakashi nudged her gently with his foot. She looked up and finally smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes so he reached over, tugging on her hair until she giggled and brushed his hand away.  
"And the other student?" she asked.  
He glanced up, as though thinking. "I'm not sure what to make of Sakura yet. She isn't as physically strong as the other two, but she seems to have a slightly better head on her shoulders." he said.

Mariko nodded. "It doesn't matter how physically strong you are, if you're head's not there, you have little to no chance out there." she said as she looked up at Kakashi. He nodded, looking her over. He gave her a small smile. "It's good, by they way." she nodded to her food. She looked down at her hands, thinking. Kakashi knew the question that was coming. She always asked. "What did I say in my sleep?" she asked. He knew what she meant.  
_"Was I screaming again?"_

He shook his head. "Not much. You said my name. And Obito's." he said gently. She nodded softly.  
"That makes sense. I was dreaming about the night you came home." she said as she stood, picking up her bowl and walking over to the sink. She looked at her feet, leaning against the sink, looking at her feet. Kakashi watched her for a moment before standing and walking over to her, resting his hands on either side of her. She glanced up and smiled just slightly. "I had that dream again last night." she whispered.  
He knew what she meant. When she was brought here. "Was it any different?" he asked, leaning away from her just slightly.  
Mariko shook her head. "Not even a little. Down to where I woke up. And then went back to sleep." she laughed softly.  
He smiled down at her, leaning towards her again. "Then what did you dream about?" he asked. She had such vivid dreams. He enjoyed hearing about them.

She glanced up at him, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him, he wrapped one around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Your father." she whispered and he tensed slightly. He knew she could feel it, and her arms tightened around her. He rested his chin on her head, thinking. She hadn't had that dream in a while. Almost six months.  
"Why?" he asked and she leaned back, looking up at him.  
She shrugged. "I'm not sure, really. Nothing bad happened on the mission." she mumbled.

That was generally when she had that specific dream: If something bad happened. She explained it as Sakumo gave her comfort and seeing him again, even in her dreams, made her feel better. Six months ago, they thought she was pregnant, and the time before that, maybe three months before that, one of her friends had gotten killed on a mission. He looked down at her.  
"You don't think you're pregnant, do you?" Mariko laughed softly.

"No." she shook her head. "I don't know..." She took a deep breath, shrugging. "Speaking of pregnancy." she teased, pulling on his shirt. "Let's make a baby." she teased and Kakashi laughed.  
"I don't know about that." he said as rested his hands on her waist.  
Mariko grinned, looking up at him. "That's okay. But come on. I just got home." she said as she pulled on his shirt.

No one really understood their relationship. Honestly? Sometimes Kakashi didn't either. They were best friends, from a young age, but as they got older, the relationship got complicated on the way. There were some kind of emotions there. He wasn't sure what the emotions where, exactly. At first he assumed it was just lust. He was sure that's all it was for Mariko. After all, besides sleeping together, she acted like they were just friends. And that's where it needed to stay. She wasn't planning on retiring from ANBU anytime soon, and she could all too easily have her name inscribed on the Memorial Stone, but Kakashi rarely let himself think about that.

"Kakshi." Mariko was looking up at him, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" she asked and he looked down at her, nodding.  
"I'm fine." He said, reaching down and picking her up by her thighs, wrapping her legs around him, smiling as her arms went around her neck to steady herself.  
He looked up at her as her muscles flexed around him. His hand ran down her thigh before reaching up to pull his mask down before Mariko grabbed his hand. "Let's keep the mask on tonight." she grinned at him. He chuckled before walking to his bedroom, tossing her on the bed before tugging his shirt off, watching her as her eyes ran down his body, cocking an eyebrow, motioning him towards her. "Come on." he purred, spreading her legs for him, her hands running down his chest as he fit himself snuggly between her thighs.

* * *

Mariko's eyes fluttered as she rested her head on Kakashi's arm, yawning slightly. "Good job." she teased, patting his chest.  
He chuckled, playing with Mariko's hair. "You're very strange, you know that?" he said and she grinned up at him. "When are you retiring?" he asked and she sighed and rolled her eyes.  
"When are you going to stop asking me that?" she asked softly as she rolled onto her side, snuggling against his side.  
He smiled down at her. "When you actually retire." he said, pulling her closer. She sighed slightly and closed her eyes. He was so confusing.

He acts like the world would end if anything were to happen to her... Yet the only thing he wanted was to have sex with her. She opened her eyes a bit, looking at the blanket covering them. But maybe that was enough. She had a part of him. And that part of him was nice. But she'd be lying if she said that she was okay with just that.  
"Mariko." he said softly and she looked up at him.  
"Sorry, I was just thinking." she whispered.  
She felt his eyes look over her. "About?" he asked and she shook her head.

"It's nothing. I'm sleeping here tonight?" she asked softly and he nodded, turning onto his side, facing her. She looked at him and pressed her forehead against his. She looked into his one open eye and sighed slightly, closing her own eyes. He ran a hand through her hair.  
"Mariko..." he mumbled.  
"It's nothing, Kakashi." she whispered, scooting down and tucking her head under his chin. He said nothing before pulling her fully against him and relaxing against her.

She really needed to get her shit straight. Emotions in check. Or else she needed to retire. She needed to have a clear head for missions. But with Kakshi constantly wafting through her mind, she couldn't properly focus.


	2. Chapter 2

_Mariko stared across the river at Itachi, no fear showing in her large, green eyes. She stood up from where she was kneeling, keeping her eyes on him.  
She had been friends with him before he had left the village, even though there was a small age difference between them. She didn't understand why he had done what he had done. She wasn't sure she wanted to know his reason. "Itachi..." she finally said, her hand close to her pocket, ready to attack if needed. She didn't want to hurt him, but if she had to, she would.  
He looked at her for a moment before stepping towards her, over the river. "If you're not afraid, then why is your hand so close to your weapons?" he questioned and she looked at him.  
"Forgive me, Itachi. Your record isn't exactly passive." she said as she lowered her hand, looking at him. This was the first time she had seen him since he left._

_He almost smiled. "I have no animosity towards you, Mariko." he said and she stared at him. "I know you don't understand." he said and she shook her head.  
"I don't." she whispered.  
His chest jumped as though he was chuckling. "It bothers you, I can tell." he said and she smiled, just slightly.  
"It does. Quite a bit. I can usually understand why people do the things they do... But you've always puzzled me, Itachi." she said as she took a step towards him before catching herself and shuffling back._

_He stepped towards her, lifting his hand to grip a loose strand of hair, rubbing it between his fingers. Mariko looked over at him. "You don't hate me." he observed.  
She shook her head a little. "No. I don't. I feel like I should... But I don't." she whispered. He nodded slightly, letting go of her hair before pulling back and turning. "Itachi..." He stopped and glanced back at her. "Why... Why did you kill your family?" she asked gently.  
He turned back around and chuckled. "You know why."  
"I don't believe that." she stepped forward, reaching forward and grabbing his cloak. "That's not who you are, Itachi. You never craved for power so much that you would kill those you loved." she stared at him. "Did ANBU really warp you that much?" her voice was desperate. _

_He shook his head. "You obviously don't know me as well as you think... ANBU did nothing to warp my brain." he stared her right in the eyes. "I crave power over the love of others. And it is that simple." he said and Mariko looked at him, letting go of his cloak, shaking her head.  
"I can't accept that answer." her voice cracked. He stepped closer, looking down at her.  
"You are an ANBU. You can not let your emotions change you." he said as he lifted a hand, placing it on her collar bones. "And you should never be foolish enough to allow your enemy this close to you." he snarled.  
Still, no fear in her eyes._

_"You are no enemy to me, Itachi." _

* * *

Kakashi looked down at Mariko as she whispered in her sleep. He pushed her hair off of her forehead, just watching her for a moment. He shook his head a little, running a head through his hair. God, he felt like he was a teenager again. He took a deep breath before standing up and pulling on his clothes and getting ready to leave. He was going to be a bit late. He had sat up, watching Mariko sleep for an embarrassing amount of time. He felt as though he could lose her at any moment. And really, he could. He knew how dangerous her missions could get. He shook the thought away as he leaned over Mariko, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm leaving." he said and she rolled towards him, opening her arms for a hug.  
"Have fun." she mumbled, burying her face in his hair and taking a deep breath. He chuckled, leaning away from her. "I'm going back to sleep now." she mumbled and Kakashi watched as she shifted to where he had been laying and curled up like a cat. He smiled before turning to walk out of the house.

* * *

_Mariko tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for Kakashi to come home. She felt ungodly ill and she needed to talk to him. They were never careful, when they had sex. So this was bound to happen, but now that it was a possibility, Mariko was terrified.  
The door opened and Kakashi walked in with a few bags, sitting them on the counter before slowly turning towards Mariko. "What?" he asked, reading the look on her face.  
She shifted in her seat, looking at her feet. "Uhm... We need to talk." she whispered, fiddling with her fingers. _

_Kakashi walked towards her, kneeling down in front of her. "Talk to me." he said gently.  
Mariko stared at her friend, biting her lip. "I think I might be pregnant." she whispered. His visible eye widened. He took a few deep breaths before resting his hands on her knees.  
"Why do you say that?" he asked.  
She looked at him. "I'm really late." her voice cracked, her eyes widening like they did before she started crying. "Like two weeks." she whimpered, covering her face.  
He said nothing for a few moments before he took her hands and pulled them away from her face. "Well... You're going to have to retire now." he said with a teasing smile._

_"How are you so calm?" she snapped.  
"There's no changing it if you're... If you are. So we just have to handle it." he said and Mariko sighed slightly, pressing her forehead to his, tensing._

* * *

Mariko sighed as she opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling, hand over her flat stomach. She smiled a little. It was bitter-sweet when she found out she wasn't pregnant. She had actually been getting excited. And she thought Kakashi had been fairly happy as well. But, at least now she could continue being an ANBU without having to worry about harming herself and the baby. Maybe one day... Probably not with Kakashi. She really needed to stop sleeping with him. It made her confused and she really wanted to settle down. She didn't see Kakashi ever doing that.

She sat up and ran a hand through her hair, before getting up and getting dressed, pulling her hair into a braid before heading out to town.

She hummed quietly as she walked through the town, playing with the end of her braid. She was always happy to be home. She felt comfortable. "Mariko! You're back!" a familiar voice made her smile.  
Mariko turned and grinned as Gai walked towards her. "You're not training with the little ones today?" she teased with a warm smile.  
He grinned widely. "Not today! They needed a little break so we met this morning, ran around the village three times and they have the rest of the day off!" he said and Mariko laughed gently.  
"You're so generous, Gai!" she teased, shaking her head. "Walk with me?" she asked and he nodded, following her.

Gai was also a very close friend of hers. She adored him. He was a wonderful friend. She had told him about how confusing her and Kakashi's relationship was, omitting the fact that they slept together... Several times since the age of 16. "When did you get back?" he asked, the grin never leaving his face.  
"Yesterday morning. I slept most of the day and Kakashi finally woke me up to eat dinner. He's a wonderful cook." she said, smiling at Gai.  
He nodded a little. "Well, I'm glad you've rested up! It's important to get enough sleep." he said and Mariko nodded to agree.  
She paused by the flower shop, looking at the flowers with a grin. "I agree, but I keep having odd dreams." she said and Gai looked at her. "I had the dream about Sakumo the night before last. But nothing bad has been happening. So I don't know." she said as she sighed, running her finger over a rose petal.  
"Maybe your body is warning you of something to come." he mused.

Mariko laughed softly. "I don't think so, Gai." she said as she started walking again, him following close behind.  
He looked her over before giving her another award-winning grin. "When do you have another mission?" he asked.  
She shrugged. "No idea. Whenever the Hokage assigns me one. As of right now, I don't have one for a week or so." she said with a small shrug. "Want to join me for lunch?" she asked with a grin.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he walked into the house. The group trained a bit today, and he was glad to be home just shortly after lunch. He looked around the house for Mariko before sitting down to read his book. He was curious as to where Mariko was, but didn't question it too much, assuming that she was out catching up with a few of her friends.

She could have left a note, but he wasn't going to complain. He yawned a little, closing his eyes for a few minutes.

* * *

_Kakashi groaned as he let the hot water run over his shoulders. He had just gotten home from a mission and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for about a week. He was just letting the water relax his muscles when the door slammed open, Mariko stepping in, holding her nose, blood seeping through her fingers. His eyes widened slightly as she ran straight to the sink, turning on the water and splashing her face, washing off the blood, seemingly not even noticing Kakashi. He turned off the water and grabbed his towel, wrapping it around his waist before walking beside Mariko and grabbing her wrist, making her jump a good foot in the air. "Kakashi! You-you're home!" Mariko said as she looked at him, her eyes flicking down his body before stopping at the towel. "I am so sorry." she whispered as he took a rag and wiped off her nose.  
"What happened?" he asked, holding her still as she tried to leave the bathroom._

_"I fell. Uhm... I can step out and let you get dressed." she whispered. He looked down at her for a moment, his eyes looking over her lips. He leaned down quickly, connecting their lips for a moment before pulling back quickly after realizing what he was doing.  
Mariko looked at him for a moment before opening her mouth to speak._


End file.
